The Pope Owns This

[ramartensjr]

The Pope Owns This

This is no time to be dismissive. This is a time to work together for reform and a new springtime of faith in the Church and in the world.

www.ncregister.com

To most Catholics, the Pope’s actions and seeming resistance place the ownership of the scandal squarely in his court; he has increasingly become the face of the scandal. This is due to the credible accusations that he knew of former Cardinal McCarrick’s predatory behavior but even more so to the fact that he has steadfastly refused even to respond to the charges. He could deny them, but he does not. Even if he were to say, “I made a serious error in judgment and I ask the mercy and forgiveness of God’s people,” many people would do so, even if with sadness. Instead, the Pope has declared that he will “not say one word on this.” Even worse, he subsequently referred to those who have asked for answers and investigations as “a pack of wild dogs,” “scandal-mongers,” and “those in league with the Great Accuser.” This is no way to treat God’s faithful; it makes him seem more of a besieged and angry potentate than a shepherd who “has the smell of the sheep.” There is a lot of talk about mercy and accompaniment, but the Pope’s actions, including the recent suppression of the USCCB’s planned vote and actions on the sexual abuse crisis, demonstrate that such terms will be very selectively applied.

Indeed, the response of the Pope to the situation in the U.S. seems eerily familiar to his treatment of the people of Chile: Pope Francis deeply offended abuse survivors by defending Chilean Bishop Juan Barros from what he called the “calumny” and “gossip” of victims of clerical sexual abuse, stubbornly backing his appointment as bishop despite widespread advice to remove it. He even called the Chileans who protested Barros’ appointment “dumb.” So detrimental was this stubbornness, dismissiveness,and unkindness to basic credibility that even some of Pope Francis’ closest associates, including Cardinal Seán O’Malley of Boston, distanced themselves from him. Only when his hand was forced by strong protests and by actions of the Chilean government did Pope Francis alter his stance and finally remove Barros, later issuing an apology.

 

[twf]

It seems that you either think the Holy Father is corrupt, incompetent, and even a borderline heretic…
…or you proclaim him a living saint.
There doesn’t seem to be any middle ground with this Pope. I only see the two extreme views.

 

[tafan2]

Count me as the middle ground. Yes, due to his actions, the Pope does “own” the resolution of the scandal. By all appearances, that’s what The Holy Father wants. So it is his problem to solve.

 

[Weserthy]

Yes, with his recent interference in the U.S. bishop’s meeting, the Pope has brought complete and total responsibility for solving this crisis upon himself. His man in the U.S. Cardinal Cupich, has been going around proclaiming that the upcoming February meeting will be groundbreaking in addressing the abuse crisis (which seems to be focused solely on children and not abuse at seminaries). So the Pope must deliver concrete and workable solutions at the February meeting or he must accept all of the blame for failing to do so. By putting a stop to the U.S. bishops implementing their own policies he is putting the pressure on himself; no one else did it for him. There are a lot of stakes going into this meeting so I hope he is ready to face the music regardless of the outcome.

 

[tafan2]

which seems to be focused solely on children and not abuse at seminaries

I agree with this, and it is very disturbing. The problem in the seminaries seems to be global in nature, and (at least in the US) it is likely the major problem at this point in time. We need to remember that the grand jury report out of Philidelphia only listed 2 or 3 cases that occurred since 2002 of abuse of minors. Now, the rest of the world did not have the Dallas accords from 2002, so that may not be the case everywhere.

 

[bullish1]

It seems that you either think the Holy Father is corrupt, incompetent, and even a borderline heretic…
…or you proclaim him a living saint.
There doesn’t seem to be any middle ground with this Pope. I only see the two extreme views.

Where do you get that and please back this up with facts. I would say that a slight majority think the Pope is on the wrong side of what change is good for the church and reluctant to confront this serious problem. Only the extreme are calling him a heretic etc. On the other side I see supporters of the Pope and his vision of of “pastorial” change even if it’s contrary to tradition. Not many extremist on that side either.

 

[ramartensjr]

Cupich appointment shows: February conference in Rome will be damage control

If you held out any hope that the Vatican might finally respond effectively to the sex-abuse scandal—that the February meeting could possibly prompt some real action—those hopes should have been shattered by the stunning announcement that Pope Francis had appointed Cardinal Blase Cupich to the...

www.catholicculture.org

Cardinal Cupich knows the Pope’s thinking. And Pope Francis knows full well what Cardinal Cupich will contribute to the task of organizing the February meeting. The sex-abuse scandal as seen through American eyes—the scandal that includes McCarrick and homosexual influence and Vatican complicity—is “not on the Pope’s plate to fix.” Look for more headlines on this issue in February, but do not expect any substantial movement. Help is not on the way.

 

[twf]

Its my anecdotal experience, admittedly based mostly on the internet. I admit to some hyperbole as well. Yet, I don’t remember such strong opinions openly expressed by bishops under previous pontificates…both for and against the Bishop of Rome.

 

[DMorgan56]

We live in interesting times.

 

[tafan2]

Very disheartening, but I cannot say I disagree with the analysis. I will be patient and wait and see. But the analysis by Mr. Lawler is what I have been fearing since Cupich was named.